Congress Vows To Watch Army Response To Fort Hood Violence

By jsalinas 12/10/2020240 views

Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, left, accompanied by Gen. James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, right, pauses while speaking about an investigation into Fort Hood, Texas at the Pentagon, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, in Washington. The Army says it has fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults and harassment. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

(AP) – Members of Congress are pledging to deepen their investigations into sexual assault, harassment and other problems at Fort Hood, Texas, and explore legislation.

They’re zeroing in on what officials say are glaring deficiencies in the Army criminal investigations unit at the base. “Red flags” have been ignored at the base for years. That’s according to Rep. Jackie Speier, who leads the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel. She says she’ll hold Army leaders accountable as they move to address the failures.

Army officials on Tuesday released an independent panel’s report on chronic leadership failures and widespread violence at Fort Hood. Service leaders fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at the base.